There is a need to track medical devices from their base materials and manufacture to their use, and throughout the intervening time. These include sterile and non-sterile medical devices. A non-sterile medical device is a medical device that is shipped from a manufacturer in a condition that is not adequately sterilized for implantation. A sterile medical device is shipped from the manufacture in a condition adequately sterilized for implantation. Healthcare providers may prefer to receive non-sterile medical devices for various reasons. In that regard, because non-sterile devices can be sterilized onsite before a medical procedure, non-sterile medical devices having a longer shelf life than a corresponding sterile medical device. Furthermore, non-sterile medical devices typically are less expensive to package. Additionally, non-sterile medical devices typically can be more densely packaged into a common carrier than sterile devices.
Difficulty arises in tracking these medical devices. For example, some smaller medical devices are difficult to track because medical devices generally do not have adequate surface area for applying marks. Thus, in many instances, medical devices are not tracked beyond their manufacturing facility, and may only be counted when reconciled for payment as one of many products that were not returned to a manufacturer for replenishment.
It is known to place a tag or tags on medical devices that are intended to be implanted into the body. For example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0230423, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, discloses a holding device for an implant, such as a screw or rod to be used in surgery, where the holding device may contain identifying information regarding the implant. Other tags attached to medical devices, particularly small medical devices are disclosed in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/109,517, filed Apr. 25, 2008, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/109,534, filed Apr. 25, 2008, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/109,539, filed Apr. 25, 2008, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/512,274, filed Jul. 30, 2009, the disclosures of each of which are entirely incorporated herein by reference.
While these tags provide a means for tracking and tracing medical devices, it is not easy to remove the implant and/or tag from their packaging (tray, case, etc.), and often they can only be removed with a tool. This becomes very difficult and cumbersome during surgery. Accordingly, there is a need for a storage case, packaging module, or other implant-tag storage or display device that enables quick and efficient implant removal without the need for specially designed tools.